You study the portfolios to gauge each actor's strengths.
Based on common knowledge bases, Lux might be a good fit to play Kharya or Timdok, and Lisbend might make a good Esirelle.
Yerrix seems like they'd make a good Timdok," Esirelle says. "And I think Lisbend has the stuff to play me ... Or Miriam, maybe."
You decide to start the auditions by calling in Lisbend. The vivavious gnome takes the stage with a grin, their fiery red hair slicked back. "Hello! I'm Lisbend, and I'll be reading for the part of Esirelle Peck," they say. The gnome squares their shoulders and takes on a more feminine stance as she clears her throat.
"I can feel it. I feel the curse of the infinite pathways taking hold. My eyes are open! I can see! See! See! Through! Through! Through! Time! Time! Time!"
Timdok keeps an eye both on the performer and on Esirelle.
Kharya is immediately charmed by the spirited gnome. "She's reading for Esi, but what do we think about having them strap on an Inferno suit of her own? I mean, look at her stance, that is fierce!"
"I don't actually sound like that, do I?" Esirelle asks a little sourly.
Lisbend finishes her audition and takes a bow. "Thank you, thank you. Whaddya think?" she asks with a smirk.
Kharya immediately starts putting Lisbend through their paces, encouraging her to meld her scrappy, pugilistic nature with the idea that eyes are always on her. Everything's a fight, and everything's a show.
"Let's go! Time to overclock Inferno to eleven!" Lisbend declares, strutting her stuff in a broad-shouldered stance that resembles Kharya's gait in an uncanny way.
Esirelle nods, trying to hide her frown, and turns her attention to Miriam to see if she can cast her.
With Lisbend cast as Kharya, you call Miriam Weahterby to the stage next. The scrappy halfling is more reserved and guarded than the exuberant gnome, but seems no less eager to audition. "Miriam, reading for Esirelle," they say. They put on a scowl and march toward an imaginary table, hands on their hips. "All right, people, that's enough of the drink. We have work to be about, and it can wait until afterward..."
Timdok watches Miriam's performance closely, hoping to see signs of leadership potential in the next auditioner.
"Lighten the scowl a touch. You're not wrong; she has it on the inside, but she wouldn't want to stomp on morale that hard."
"Wonders, Cerulean? Or blunders?" Miriam as Esirelle replies, taking Kharya's notes and lightening her scowl into something of a half-smirk. "Kidding aside, the rumors of Akhenaten's return cannot be ignored. A hero's duty is never done!"
By the end of the audition, it's clear that Miriam would be perfect for the role of Esirelle!
You call Lux up to the stage next. The nephilim swaggers confidently out from behind the curtain, their golden eyes gleaming in the light. "Well, hello, loves. Lux here, reading for the roles of Cerulean and Timdok."
The actor proceeds with both auditions, emphasizing their flirtatious nature when portraying Cerulean and affecting a more rough and tumble mien for the part of Timdok.
Tim just can't see how Lux would get into the role.
Esirelle squints. "I could see them as Cerulean ... but I think better for Timdok!" she declares.
"They seem fine to me either way." Kharya equivocates.
While's Lux's audition for Cerulean is pretty good, they really nail the part of Timdok. They'd likely be a better fit for his role.
"I bow to your expertise," Timdok says with a theatrical bow to Cerulean.
With Lux cast as Timdok, you call out Yerrix to audition for Cerulean. The furry monkey goblin’s eyes are alight with mischief, tail wagging as they sashay onto the stage. ”Hello there, my lovelies. Wait’ll ya get a load of me,” they say with a bawdy wink.
Timdok still isn't sure that he has the hang of this theater thing. Cerulean barely looks like a monkey goblin.
Esirelle frowns. "The tail is really all wrong," she mutters.
"Airier. Airier! Airier!! That's it."
Yerrix refines their performance according to your notes, and by the end of the audition, they've really nailed Cerulean's voice and mannerisms. Another perfect fit!
By the end of the day, you've got your main cast lineup: Lisbend as Kharya, Miriam as Esirelle, Lux as Timdok, and Yerrix as Cerulean. As word spreads of the perfect casting call, Kintargo’s high priest of Shelyn, Zachrin Vhast, hears and gifts you with three rare librettos from the Chelaxian Civil War era, autographed by the composers and librettists. Each is worth 3,000 gp. Additionally, you gifts you with one of the church's greatest treasures: a thorn brush!
***
Fallenta’s operas typically require very talented composers and conductors to orchestrate. She’s looked into those who are available to work on the timeline this opera requires, and unfortunately, none of the talented composers and conductors based in Kintargo (or even wider Ravounel) are available for or interested in the job.
As a result, Fallenta tasks you with seeking out a composer elsewhere in the Inner Sea region. She has done a bit of the work already and has narrowed the options down to three suggestions, each of whom can serve as a conductor for the orchestra as well as composer. It falls to you to decide which of the three options you wish to recruit for the job.
Dramatic Composer: Vaerthilde Listrassa has an unparalleled reputation as a composer of dramatic operas. She rarely travels from her home city of Karcau in Ustalav, where she’s worked at the Karcau Opera for 30 years as a conductor, composer, and instructor. A devout Abadaran, Vaerthilde prizes discipline, rigorousness, and technical perfection, and more than one aspiring starlet has fled the stage after experiencing her harsh tutelage. Though her methods are severe, the operas Vaerthilde composes and conducts are triumphs of elegance and emotion, and her reputation as one of the best composers in the Inner Sea is well-earned.
Vaerthilde disdains those who don’t take their jobs seriously, but she has also always admired Kintargo’s opera traditions.
Comedic Composer: The composer who specializes in comedic operas is Eustaro Seven-Seas Cobblemar, an eccentric gnome with a laid-back attitude—sometimes too laid-back, as he takes a hands-off approach toward his work that’s vexed many producers. He prefers to “let the music naturally find its way” instead of being too firm in his directions. When his technique works, however, the results cause an audience to weep with laughter from the timing of a musical cue alone. Eustaro has ranged all over the Inner Sea, but these days he makes his home in the Varisian city of Magnimar, where he’s just wrapped up a production at the Triodea, Magnimar’s preeminent concert hall.
Eustaro hates controlling behavior, but he also loves food and drink.
Spectacular Composer: Those seeking a composer for spectacular operas can score no greater coup than hiring Kazhiyya Teram, who’s conducted some of the most impressive productions around the Inner Sea. They don’t tend to flaunt their vishkanya ancestry outside their homeland of Jalmeray, as they’re aware some can be prejudiced. After a long period of touring, they have returned to the city of their birth, Niswan, and are currently a guest of Thakur Kharswan. Despite their talent, Kazhiyya experiences bouts of severe insecurity, and every production they conduct inevitably involves a crisis where they descend into despair about their work not being good enough, convinced their “inadequacies” will ruin the show. If reassured, though, Kazhiyya puts on a show like no other, with the most fantastical effects the Inner Sea’s opera houses have ever seen.
Kashiyya tends to panic under pressure, and they prefer those who are not put off by their ancestry.
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"Listrassa seems like the best match for us," Timdok opines. "We should be able to make our way to Ustalav without much trouble. I think we have the best chance of our opera making a lasting impression if we empashize the emotional side of it."
Kharya grunts. "Just as well. It's a long walk."
With the wand of teleport at your disposal, you quickly find yourselves in the city of Karcau, nestled on the banks of Lake Prophyria in Ustalav. Vaerthilde agrees to meet with you at the Karcau Opera House. She's a tall, dark-haired human woman who wears her hair pulled back in a tight bun. When you arrive, she’s standing in the orchestra pit of the Opera House, motioning to musicians seated in the pit. No sooner do they begin to play than she makes an impatient gesture, and they taper off to silence as she snaps at them: “No, no, no! With emotion. This is a death scene, not a wait for one’s overdue meal at a restaurant.”
Once you make yourselves known, she glances up at you, frowning. “We’ll try again in a few minutes. It seems we have company,” she tells the musicians before turning back to you. "Fallenta's sending indicated you're interested in hiring me for an opera in Kintargo?"
"That's exactly right. Word of your expertise in dramatic performances has spread throughout the art scene."
Vaerthilde has always admired Kintargo's opera traditions. Emphasizing the chance to work in the famous Kintargo Opera House would definitely make her more amenable.
Esirelle studies the composer and their brief interactions with the orchestra to see what the best tack to take might be.
It's clear that Vaerthilde wears her strong faith in Abadar on her sleeve.
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Cerulean had been hoping to hear the performance but seeing that Vaerthilde thought even the start of it was heartless she wondered how hard this was going to be.
Striding down towards the orchestra pit Cerulean speaks calmly to the conductor, beginning the negotiation while the others studied for the best means to do so. "Hello, it's so good to see that Fallenta's message has been received so quickly. We are indeed looking for a masterful conductor to work alongside our joint production. We've secured a masterful venue for you to practice your craft, and if needs be we shall search the varied lands for those who meet your requirements for instrumentation as well. Should you have interest in working with us."
"I have heard that you follow the Master of the First Vault. I hope then that you recognize the opportunity this production represents. You will have the chance to serve as the mold for the culture and civic identity of a new era within this storied opera house."
"I have long hoped to have the chance to perform in the fabled Kintargo Opera House," Vaerthilde says. "And I do appreciate being able to espouse Abadar's teachings within the Silver City. You have my interest. Tell me more."
"Well, it's a story of the forces of good triumphing over dark fiends who would enslave the very memories and souls of countless people--ourselves included!" Timdok explains.
"A good requiem, maybe with a slight martial tone, could work well for the music," Esirelle suggests.
"The tale is ours, but with your guidance I am certain that you will find the parts that may be drawn out and emphasized for salubrious purpose."
"Yes, very good. I already have some ideas for musical motifs floating around in my head," Vaerthilde says with a smile. "I can see the composition coming together..."
"I think choirs of angels singing when we triumph could be a nice touch, too!" Timdok adds.
"I imagine the opera house would be a perfect setting," Esirelle notes. "Almost like a sermon in a cathedral!"